06 January 2016
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500 years of Royal Mail logo
Royal Mail is celebrating the 500th anniversary of Brian Tuke becoming the first Master of the Posts, in 1516, with a special website highlighting 500 objects, people and events that tell the story of the postal service.
Royal Mail is celebrating the 500th anniversary of Brian Tuke becoming the first Master of the Posts, in 1516, with a special website highlighting 500 objects, people and events that tell the story of the postal service.
While the exact origins of the British postal service are a subject of debate, the knighting of Brian Tuke is being celebrated as ‘the catalyst for the creation of the Royal Mail we know today’, and Royal Mail will issue a set of stamps to mark the 500th anniversary on (see full preview in the March issue of Stamp & Coin Mart).
Meanwhile, Royal Mail has worked with the British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) to launch an extensive online gallery celebrating the five centuries of postal history.
According to a Royal Mail spokesperson the gallery not only tells the story of the postal service but also of the ‘contribution to social and political development over the last 500 years’.
Moya Greene, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Mail, said:
‘We are proud to celebrate the heritage of this great company. The history of the postal service in the UK reflects the tremendous societal and political change that has taken us from 16th-century Tudor England to the United Kingdom today.
Visit the website at: www.royalmailgroup.com/500years
